Next to the peer-reviewed literature, I would say you could make a case for Google being one of the most vital tools that researchers use to get work done.
Seriously guys, admit it: Google has become an important tool for you to stay productive.
That said, I thought I would showcase Google's ad in tribute for how much this free service does for me:
A simple text box with so many possibilities. I sometimes think of one of our famous early scientists, say Galileo, popping into our time, sitting at that text box for the first time and weeping when he sees what it can give. Of course this picture sometimes pops into my mind as I'm searching for something silly and stupid like "prevent navel lint"
ReplyDeleteStan,
ReplyDeleteI know. That simple search box is one of man's most helpful inventions. Who would have ever thought!
Very true. As already mentioned in this post, we really ought to live our lives in constant awe of the world around us. It's not just Google either (personally, I use GoodSearch when I remember), it's everything from indoor plumbing to Excel (data plotting by hand anyone?) to digital cameras to frozen vegetables. Truly, Galileo would, and we all should, be in awe at what we have.
ReplyDeleteBe careful the mayor of Paris is homosexual.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joe. The world wide web is a marvel. Toady I was trying to find an article from 1965 that apparently hasn't been placed on the web yet. It was amazingly time consuming to actually go to the library, find the journal (Reviews of Plasma Physics - a classic), find the article, and make copies. Usually between NASA's Astrophysical Data System and Google Scholar I can find any article from any journal in less than 5 min. I am amazingly spoiled.
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteYou actually had to go to the library to read an article? Man, what is that like? :)
I also have to say the this was my favorite commercial of the Super Bowl, though I did miss most of the first half.
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteIt was my favorite too.
Joe,
ReplyDeleteYeah, the real library. WITH BOOKS! It turns out that if you want to compute the viscosity, thermal conductivity, and electrical resistivity of astrophysical plasmas from first principles (or at least semi-classical and statistical mechanics), you're going to need to go back to references from the 50's and 60's, which haven't been digitized yet.
However I did get to use those automatic moving shelves, which made the whole trip worthwhile. :)
Does it work for a French-American girl in Nantes :) ?
ReplyDeleteCartesian,
ReplyDeleteIt just might, you should try it out. :)